British police officers are given access to communications data approximately 643 times every day, according to figures revealed in a new study.

Communications data,
which includes the location and personal details of any text,
email, phone call or web search, have become an integral part of
police crime investigations with 733,237 requests for data made
between 2012 and 2014.

The report, by transparency advocacy group Big Brother Watch,
found that 96 percent of requests made by police were internally
approved, with just four percent being refused.

So of the 670 requests made each day, 643 are granted – a total
of 26 an hour, the report notes.

Big Brother Watch adds that the 25 percent so-called ‘capability
gap’ – the difference between the amount of data created and the
ability of the police to access it – is “overstated.”

“Claims of a 25-percent capability gap – the gap between the
amount of communications data created and the ability for the
police to access it – are therefore clearly overstated. It is
clear from the reports’ findings that disparity exists amongst
police forces on what is considered necessary and proportionate
for a request for communications data and why a refusal for
access is given,” the report states.

The group is calling for greater police transparency about which
data are being accessed and the type of crime the data is being
used to solve.

They also urge authorities to publish reports “detailing how
requests are approved” and to ensure judicial authority is
needed to finalize requests.

“New definitions for communications data should be adopted,”
the report states. “Should the government adopt these
recommendations, the general public will be better informed about
how their communications can be obtained, analyzed and used. It
will also provide much needed clarity on how police and other
organizations work with the technology companies to access this
information.”

“As a result of these findings, Big Brother Watch remains
concerned about the excessive access and use of communications
data,” the report adds.

Chief Executive Renate Samson said: “Modern policing and the
use of technology in investigating crime should be more
transparent.

“We are repeatedly told that communications data plays a
significant role in modern policing, yet the reports' findings
pose serious questions about the internal approval process which
differs from force to force.”

The new Conservative administration announced plans last week to
pass the Investigatory Powers Bill – dubbed the Snoopers’ Charter
– which will “provide the police and intelligence agencies
with the tools to keep you and your family safe.”

The bill will give police powers to access even more wide-ranging
communications data, and will replace the 2013 Communications
Data Bill.